Marengo company accused of polluting well water

MARENGO – Six property owners with private wells are slated to receive bottled water after cancer-causing chemicals were found in the groundwater near a manufacturer, according to a news release from the state attorney general’s office.

Arnold Magnetic Technologies, 300 N. West St., previously used chlorinated solvents in its production process in a building at the northwestern corner of its site, the attorney general’s office said.

Water samples collected in mid-May showed elevated levels of hazardous chemicals, including trichloroethylene and vinyl chloride, in six private wells.

At least two of the wells had levels that exceeded groundwater quality regulations, the news release said.

Madigan’s office then filed a two-count complaint against Arnold Magnetic Technologies that alleged a substantial danger to the environment, public health and welfare and water pollution.

The company has to provide safe drinking water to the six properties, under a court order entered Friday in McHenry County Circuit Court, according to the news release.

The six property owners, four on Ritz Road and two on Railroad Street, are slated to receive bottled water from the Arnold Magnetic Technologies until the company receives authorization from Lisa Madigan’s office and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency that it may cease distribution, the news release said.

Under the order, the company also has to conduct water tests from 17 drinking water wells located along Ritz Road and Railroad Street. The tests will check for multiple chemicals, including trichloroethylene and vinyl chloride, that may have seeped into nearby wells, according to the attorney general’s office.

“This court order will ensure that the residents with private wells are supplied with safe drinking water by the defendants,” Madigan said.